The Magna Carta Comes to Manitoba

“No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, nor will we proceed with force against him, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right of justice.”

This is the single most important clause of the Magna Carta or, as it is also known, the Great Charter of Liberty.

When it was issued in 1215, it was agreed upon by King John and his barons at Runnymede near Windsor. Today, nearly 800 years later, the document is considered the foundation of modern democracy.

A rare opportunity

An original Magna Carta, handwritten in medieval Latin in 1217 was on display at the Manitoba Legislative Building from July 12 to October 10, 2010. This document is one of four originals now held by Oxford University’s Bodleian Library.

This is the first overseas trip this document has made in nearly 800 years.

A stone from the fields of Runnymede that Queen Elizabeth II selected to be a component of the cornerstone of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights set to open at the Forks in 2012.